Month: December 2025

Benelli M4 Tactical Shotgun, by Thomas Christianson

The Benelli M4 is the civilian version of the M1014 semi-automatic combat shotgun that was developed for the United States military in 1998 and taken into service in 1999. The M4 or the M1014 is now used by military or law enforcement agencies in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Georgia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others. Its unique “auto-regulating gas operated” (ARGO) system uses an elegantly simple arrangement of two pistons that push directly against the bolt. The system allows the shotgun to be used with intermixed rounds of different …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, a new twist on FPV drone warfare. U.S. Army Practices Building Drones “In-Theater” This was linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: U.S. Army Changes Tools and Tactics …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 17, 2025

With the recent spike in spot silver, I’ve had a number of readers contact me about making trades. For any of my current Elk Creek Company inventory, I’m willing to accept in trade: Generic commercial bullion 1-ounce rounds right at the spot price of silver. ($66.29, as I’m writing this on Wednesday morning.) U.S. Mint American Eagle 1-ounce rounds at $1.50 over spot. And, since U.S. Silver dollars contain .7734 oz. of silver, I’m willing to accept: Non-professionally graded AU or Better $1 Morgan or Peace Dollars at $49.50 each PCGS or NGC graded (“slabbed”) AU 50 to MS60 (non-1921, …


Will The US Hit A Deflationary Wall Or Will The Fed Inflate Again In 2026?, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Note:   This article was originally published by Birch Gold Group.  It is re-posted with permission. In a system dominated by Keynesian economics the word “deflation” is considered taboo; like saying Donald Trump’s name out loud in a crowded Seattle yoga studio. The screeching reaction you will get is rarely worth the effort of arguing the point. Every element of modern financial policy is designed to prevent a deflationary event. Every central bank policy is designed to artificially drag the economy out of deflation using whatever fiat stimulus is necessary. Of course, deflation is not always a bad thing. It’s …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — Several readers have written to mention the new Pluribus post-apocalyptic sci-fi television series. It is an odd and somewhat creepy show that depicts a “soft” alien Hive Mind takeover of the world, via a Happiness Virus. In Episode 1, we see that 99.999% of the population has their consciousness subsumed into the …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 16, 2025

December 16th is remembered as the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, in 1773. This destructive act of civil disobedience was led by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, in protest of the 1773 Tea Act, which had imposed a 3 pence tax per pound of tea. In contemporary valuation, that equated to an 18% tax on the value of tea. News of the Boston Tea Party prompted the British Parliament to pass The Intolerable Acts (a.k.a. The Coercive Acts, or the Insufferable Acts), which were a primary catalyst for America’s War of Independence. — The Romanian Revolution began on …


A Systematic Framework for Identifying Real-World Threats, by Danield MacLeod

Many preppers have their priorities out of alignment. From my experience, many focus almost entirely on the how of preparedness—what supplies to stockpile, what gear to buy, or what skills to learn. Much of this is driven by one-size-fits-all recommendations that may not fit their specific situation. At the same time, attention is often focused on dramatic, low-probability events such as economic collapse, EMPs, or pandemics, while far more likely threats are overlooked. Now, I’m not saying that supplies, gear, skills, and major threats aren’t important—they are all extremely important for preparedness. Food, water, medical capability, tools, and training are …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest.  Today, a Creative Commons photo of Yellowstone’s Mammoth Hot Springs. It was taken in 2019 by the talented photographer Rennett Stowe. Redoubt News of Interest Lithium mining exploration project in Southeast Oregon gets federal approval. The latest video from the world-travelling Expedition Rove couple, at their new “rough around the edges” home in North Idaho: We just keep finding more stuff! — We bought a house with everything …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 15, 2025

On December 15th, 1569:  While being hunted by Queen Elizabeth I (pictured) for treason in “The Rising of the North”, Charles Neville, Earl of Westmorland, escaped to Scotland. — December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. The Bill of Rights became law on this day in 1791, following ratification by the state of Virginia. We encourage our American readers to gather publicly and read the Bill of Rights aloud. — The 15th of December, 1923, was the birthday of Uziel “Uzi” Gal (born Gotthard Glas). He is, of course, remembered as the inventor of the famous Uzi submachine gun. — …


Minuteman Titan Rocket Stove, by Thomas Christianson

The Minuteman Titan Rocket Stove has a shell around the body of the stove that is filled with ceramic fiber insulation. This ensures that a large portion of the heat produced by the stove goes up the chimney to cook whatever is on the grate instead of being randomly dissipated in all directions. Once the stove is hot, this feature greatly accelerates its cooking speed in comparison with a similar uninsulated stove. With a weight of 35 pounds, the Titan is best suited for use at a fixed location or in conjunction with wheeled transport. The Titan is fairly expensive. …


Recipe of the Week: 

The following recipe for Yorkshire Pudding is from The New Butterick Cook Book, copyright 1924, now in the public domain. That is just one of the dozens of bonus books included in the 2005-2025 20th Anniversary Edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick that will be available to pre-order on December 29th. Yorkshire Pudding is a classic English recipe that is traditionally made to serve alongside Roast Beef. Ingredients 1 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup miik 2 eggs Directions Put flour, salt, milk, and eggs together in a mixing bowl. Beat well with a Dover egg beater. …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: The 3.33% land where half of the US population lives. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Note that there is no high-density blue in The American Redoubt region or in the Dakotas. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       — Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.